This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
When Kermit Johnson first went to work at the AlphaGraphics copy shop by the University of Utah in 1970, co-founder Harvey Kaplan had a monthly contest for store managers to boost sales.
"The first six months, Kermit won every month. We tried to figure out a way somebody else could win because we didn't want people to get discouraged," said Kaplan. "So we came up with a new contest, but Kermit won again."
For Kaplan, that ability to get out in front of the pack and stay there helped Johnson lift AlphaGraphics from a small-time copy shop to an international operation, now headquartered in Salt Lake City with 280 franchises in the U.S., Brazil, China, Hong Kong, Saudia Arabia and the United Kingdom.
Services for Johnson, 70, were held Monday at Evans and Early Mortuary following his death April 13 after a lengthy battle with COPD.
"Kermit was a good businessman," recalled Kaplan, who sold his interests in AlphaGraphics in 1971 and taught at Skyline and Layton high schools and Salt Lake Community College before retiring in New York City.
"But his best quality was his determination and his ability to get people to work for and with him," he added. "You can't get a business to grow as a franchise operation if [the franchisees] don't trust the ethics of the person presenting it to them. He's a good example of the American dream … a person who made something of himself."
Born on Jan 12, 1946, in Provo to Glen and Leola Seguine Johnson, he attended Brigham Young University before leaving for a tour of duty in Vietnam. After returning from the war, Johnson attended the University of Utah, striking up a business relationship with Kaplan and Rodger Ford.
Johnson and Ford began franchising AlphaGraphics in 1978, when Johnson had five shops in Utah and Ford had four in Arizona.
Business took off.
In a profile of Johnson that appeared in the trade magazine adnews, he was quoted as saying "The first marketing we ever did was to teach people why they should be copying stuff. We encouraged people to share recipes, genealogy and keep copies of legal records. We even had a little form where they could copy their credit cards in case their wallet was stolen. Nickel and dime stuff. That's how we made our money — a mill (one-tenth of a penny) at a time. Millions of mills add up."
Said Kaplan: "The reason his places were successful was wholly because of his effort."
In 2004, Johnson sold his interest in AlphaGraphics, now part of the Blackstreet group of companies.
Former Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson also praised his contributions to the community, citing Johnson's membership in the Salt Shakers, the Alta Club and the Salt Lake Olympic Bid Committee.
"What an amazing, interesting guy," Anderson said after delivering the eulogy at Johnson's funeral. "Very different for Salt Lake City, that's for sure."
Glen (Kermit) Johnson
1946-2016